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Chip Foose, the renowned designer behind some of the most famous vehicles of the last decade and the star of the popular TLC series Overhaulin’, will display a selection of his legendary designs, products and automobiles in a new exhibit at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. “Chip Foose: From Pen to Pavement,” opening March 25th and running through November 12th, will explore the intricate design process of this master automotive and industrial innovator.

Foose’s legacy of designs and accomplishments began at the age of seven when Foose started helping his father, Sam Foose, a hot rod legend as well, at his project design firm. By age 12, he had painted his first car – a Porsche 356. A chance meeting with famed Tucker designer Alex Tremulus inspired Foose to attend the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Foose later worked with hot rod legend Boyd Coddington until 1998, when he opened his Foose Design company in Huntington Beach, California, selling one of his favorite cars to obtain the seed money. Since then, Foose Design has built award-winning hot rods and some of the most revered vehicle and product designs of the last decade. Foose also stars on the popular Overhaulin’ TV show on TLC.

“Most automotive professionals specialize in either design or physical fabrication, but Chip Foose is a unique expert of both crafts,” said Dick Messer, Director of the Petersen Automotive Museum. “From the initial sketch to the final product, the quality of design doesn’t get any better than Chip Foose. In the exhibit, we wanted to show the timeline of Foose’s talent development and the steps in his design process to inspire the next generation of artists and fabricators.”

Award-Winning VehiclesThroughout his career, Foose has won numerous awards for his designs including three of the last four Ridler Awards, the most prestigious all-around honor in hot-rodding. The Petersen exhibit will display all three Ridler cars including the 2002 winner “Grandmaster” (1935 Chevrolet Master Sedan), the 2003 winner “Stallion” (1934 Ford Coupe) and last year’s champion “Impression” (1936 Ford Roadster), that took more than 12,000 hours to fabricate the 4,000-plus intricate parts. Foose has been involved in seven vehicles that have won the prestigious America’s Most Beautiful Roadster honors and the 1999 “Shockwave,” 2000 “0032,” and 2006 “Impression” winners will be on display.

Overhauled MasterpiecesFoose gained national prominence in 2003 with the debut of the popular Overhaulin’ TV series on cable network TLC, where his crew pranks an unsuspecting fan into thinking their car has been stolen and then returns to them a fully renovated vehicle in just one week’s time. The 1950 Ford Coupe that was “overhauled” at the Petersen Automotive Museum in 2004 will be on display as will Foose’s own 1956 Ford Truck that turned the tables on Chip and was “overhauled” by his crew and his dad Sam in late 2005.

Famed Movie Cars and Star ProjectsFoose has been instrumental in designing and building signature street rods, customs, studio vehicles and show cars for such films as RoboCop and Gone in 60 Seconds. The Petersen exhibit will display the taxi Foose designed from Syd Mead’s sketch for the futuristic 1982 movie Blade Runner. Also on display, the NASCAR race car Foose painted for Jeff Gordon to be raced in February 2006, one of the NFL Helmet cars, and the roadster he built for Van Halen’s Michael Anthony.

The Art of DesignFoose currently serves as the creative head and driving force behind Foose Design, a company that specializes in illustration, graphics, ideation model making, surfacing and the complete construction of automobiles and automobile-related products. As part of the Petersen exhibit, there will be instructional displays on automotive illustration and the process of wheel design that are meant to educate children and adults alike on all of the behind-the-scenes efforts that go into creating a final product.

“I am truly humbled by the Petersen Automotive Museum’s choice to display my career work,” said Chip Foose. “From an early age, I was fascinated by the process and the art of design. I wasn’t always the best artist and had to work to hone my craft. I hope this exhibit will show kids that they don’t have to be perfect artists right away and can express themselves artistically in a variety of ways.”